Timeline of SEC expansion

September 7, 2011|By Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

With the unanimous decision by the presidents and chancellors of the Southeastern Conference to approve Texas A&M's admission to the league, the SEC has started the ball rolling towards expansion, something it has done only once in its 79-year history.

Here is a timeline of the SEC and expansion:

1932: The SEC was established in 1932 with several charter members of the Southern Conference leaving to create their own conference. The new 13-member league featured Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Sewanee, Tennessee, Tulane, and Vanderbilt.

1940: After eight years of futility, Sewanee leaves the SEC, eventually deemphasizing varsity athletics and moving to Division III.

1964: Georgia Tech leaves the SEC and eventually becomes a founding member of the Metro Conference.

1966: Two years later, Tulane left the SEC, joining Georgia Tech in the Metro Conference.

1991: The SEC expands from ten teams to twelve with that addition of Arkansas and South Carolina. The move allows the conference to create two divisions – East and West – and establish a conference football championship.